Saturday, March 19, 2011

Letting Our Hair Down

It is probably a given in sociological circles that laughing in the company of your friends is a beneficially bonding activity. This makes skit night a valuable event in the community, and last night was a great example of this (note for the English - a skit is what we call a sketch, of the comedy variety). I had already had the opportunity to make people laugh during my way-seeking mind talk, which, happily, they did, and mostly where I intended there to be laughs.
Another joy of skit night is to get a different view of the people you usually see in formal surroundings, and to see how people can inhabit different roles. Lien was particularly game to show her funny side last night: she and I and David Z and Anna did a skit about a form addicts' recovery meeting, and she also starred in the hilarious 'shuso jundo olympics' (most skit night humour does not really work outside the immediate surroundings of your peers, who are going to get the references); this morning she was back on shuso duty, doing the jundo, being the kokyo for the Full Moon Ceremony, opening the zendo, doing the posture adjustments with me during zazen. Last night Abbot Steve was playing the guitar and singing old Zen Center favourites, accompanied by Jamie, who had more of a starring role last Friday, but who also has past form in the realm of music; today he was giving a very moving lecture - okay, he sang at the end of that as well, but he was in robes this morning. We also had poetry, dance, story-telling, a martial arts demonstration, and juggling, all generously appauded as we got to reveal ourselves to each other.